Hawthorne, Jacobs to Participate in SEC Career Tour
ATLANTA – Kentucky student-athletes Jackson Hawthorne (men’s soccer) and Lesedi Jacobs (women’s tennis) will represent the Wildcats among a group of 28 current and former Southeastern Conference competitors at the SEC Career Tour on Dec. 3-5 in Atlanta. This marks the fourth consecutive year the SEC has invited athletes from all 14 institutions to participate in the career tour leading up to the SEC Football Championship.
The goal of the career tour is to provide exposure for SEC student-athletes who are seeking career opportunities in various fields. The group is scheduled to visit the headquarters and meet with executives at several corporations in the Atlanta area, including Cox Communications, NCR Corporation, Winning Edge Leadership Academy, The Home Depot and UPS.
The attendees will begin the three-day event at the site of the SEC Championship where they will meet with Mercedes-Benz Stadium staff and take a tour of the facility. Also included on the agenda is a dinner with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and presentations by Josh Foliart, former Arkansas football student-athlete and co-founder and CEO of the MULTIPLi Global, and Randy Hain, founder and president of Serviam Partners. Former student-athletes Rashad Roundtree (Georgia football), Beatriz Travalon (Auburn swimming and diving), Natalie Hinds (Florida swimming and diving) and Kathryn Cosgrove (Tennessee rowing) will meet with the group and share their experiences in the SEC Career Tour and how it helped in their job searches.
Hawthorne has maintained a GPA of over 3.0 over the past four years and was named to the Dean’s List and SEC Honor Roll as a communication major. The 6-foot-5 native of Raleigh, North Carolina, was part of a group of UK student-athletes who went to Ethiopia on a mission trip last summer, where he began his ongoing effort to donate gently used soccer gear to Ethiopian children. As a reserve goalkeeper, Jackson was part of a 2018 squad that put together the most successful season in program history and a 2019 team that won at least 13 games for the seventh time ever.
Double majoring in accounting and finance, Jacobs was named to the last two SEC Spring Academic Honor Rolls and was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete. The Windhoek, Namibia, native claimed two Ohio Valley Regional Doubles Championships, as well as the 2019 Baylor Invite Doubles Championship. She has participated in community service projects with the Habitat for Humanity, God’s Pantry, Read Across America, Amachi Central Kentucky and Special Olympics Kentucky.
Joining Hawthorne and Jacobs at the SEC Career Tour are Alabama’s Samuel Fischer (men’s tennis) and Hailey Higgins (rowing); Arkansas’ Nicholas Hilson (men’s track and field) and Stefani Doyle (soccer); Auburn’s Justus Perry (softball) and Graysen Huff (men’s golf); Florida’s Kirby McMullen (baseball) and Garrett Milchin (baseball); LSU’s Milan Stokes (volleyball) and Monica Dibildox (women’s golf); Ole Miss’ Myles Hartsfield (football) and Gabrielle Little (soccer); Mississippi State’s Olivia Hernandez (soccer) and Mitchell Storm (men’s basketball); Missouri’s Madison Lewis (soccer) and Griffin Schaetzle (men’s swimming and diving); South Carolina’s Jana Johns (softball) and Paul Quildies (men’s soccer); Tennessee’s Mariah Smith (women’s golf) and Alontae Taylor (football); Texas A&M’s Riley McQuaid (women’s tennis) and Allonte Wingate (baseball); and Vanderbilt’s Grace Jackson (soccer) and Selah Peacock (women’s swimming and diving).
